HCFC phase out ‘confusing’

 From 1 January this year an EC-wide ban came into force, making it illegal to use virgin R22 and other HCFCs. A-Gas says there remains “a considerable amount of confusion as to what exactly is being phased out”. The company says: “From the start of this year it is not just R22 that must be phased out, but all single HCFCs, and blends containing HCFCs, including R123, R124, R141b, R142b, R401 A/B, R402 A/B, R403 A/B, R406 A, R408 A and R409 A/B.” A-Gas has been running roadshows with refrigeration and air conditioning product distributor Climate Center to increase awareness of the phase-out and share experiences of retrofit blends. It said: “Judging by the comments and queries from over 300 engineers and industry professionals attending, the legislation’s full impact still has not yet been grasped. The choices are clear: either replace with new equipment that uses a non-ODP refrigerant such as CO2, NH3, HCs or HFCs, retrofit with a non-ODP refrigerant such as the ISCEON MO 9 series or RS range, or implement a strategy based on genuine reclaimed HCFC refrigerants.”